Chapter 32 Inzaghi could act unilaterally, and Pierre…

After the winter break, Serie A resumed, with the 18th round of matches quietly approaching.

On January 13, AC Milan hosted Napoli at home. Ancelotti brought out Pato, who had been training with the team for a week, to "test the waters" for the fans. More than 80,000 fans witnessed Pato's debut at the San Siro.

Ronaldo also recovered from his injury and played as a strike duo with Pato, along with Kaká linking up the midfield and forward line. In this match, Milan's attacking midfield and forward line were 100% Brazilian.

Napoli's last victory at the San Siro dates back to 1986, when Maradona, at the height of his career, led Napoli to an away win against AC Milan. Since then, Napoli's record at the San Siro is 7 draws and 7 losses, with no further victories.

Before the match, two Napoli fans were attacked by AC Milan extremists, but fortunately their injuries were not serious.

Napoli's players are full of fighting spirit, ready to break their embarrassing 14-game winless streak at the San Siro today, give Milan's rising star Pato a hard time, and get revenge on the fans.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Napoli's 14-game winless streak at the San Siro turned into 15 games, and Pato's debut was very successful.

After the match started, every touch of Pato by the ball elicited cheers from the fans in the stadium, and amidst the thunderous support, Pato's performance became increasingly outstanding.

In the 15th minute, Ronaldo cut inside from the left wing and was blocked by two Napoli defenders. At this moment, Pirlo had already run to the right rear of Ronaldo to receive the pass.

Ronaldo passed the ball to Pirlo, who drew the defenders' attention before passing it back to Ronaldo. Ronaldo, now unmarked, took a right-footed shot. The ball hit Napoli goalkeeper Izzo's leg, changing its trajectory but still heading towards the goal.

At that moment, Pato was standing on the goal line and headed the ball on the rebound, but it was volleyed away by a Napoli defender. The referee ruled that the ball had crossed the goal line before Pato's follow-up shot, and the goal stood.

Milan lead 1-0, with the goal credited to Ronaldo.

After scoring, Ronaldo began frequently setting up Pato, hoping his Brazilian younger brother could have a perfect debut.

Unfortunately, Pato wasn't very lucky. Before Ronaldo was substituted, Milan scored three more goals, by Seedorf, Ronaldo, and Kaká.

In the 69th minute, Ronaldo was substituted by Emerson. Fans applauded to congratulate the man who scored twice, and Ancelotti also went up to hug Ronaldo.

The first half of the season was not easy for Ronaldo. He was almost constantly recovering from injuries, and after a brief recovery, he suffered a new injury. Even someone as strong as an alien is still human, and his body is still subject to injuries.

In this match, Ronaldo proved to the world that as long as he returns in top form, he is still the invincible alien.

After Ronaldo was substituted, Pato finally scored his first Serie A goal.

In the 74th minute, Favalli launched a long diagonal pass from the left wing. Pato controlled the ball and dribbled past his opponent, showcasing his speed and explosiveness to the fullest.

Amidst waves of cheers from the fans, Pato shook off Domizzi, who was desperately pulling him away, and after breaking into the penalty area, he overcame the onrushing Jezo and calmly slotted the ball into the net.

After the goal, the San Siro erupted in jubilation, with fans chanting Pato's name to celebrate his perfect debut.

Pato's girlfriend, Stephanie Brito, was also present to witness Pato's Serie A debut. After scoring a goal, Pato made a heart gesture to his girlfriend in the stands, showing their affection.

On the bench, Fino and Inzaghi sat together, each with a teammate's coat draped over their lap for warmth.

After seeing Pato make a heart shape with his hands, Inzaghi took Fino's hand under his coat, covered his mouth with his other hand, and whispered in Fino's ear, "When it comes to showing love, Pato is far inferior to me."

This statement seemed rather nonsensical, and Fino turned to look at Inzaghi.

Inzaghi smiled, leaned close to Fino's ear again, and whispered, "Fino Cabrini, you are a miracle in my life!"

Fino felt her face getting hot.

He awkwardly pulled his hand away from Inzaghi's, took it out from under his coat, and joined the fans in clapping for Pato.

“Fino Cabrini, you are a miracle in my life.” — These were the words Inzaghi wrote on Fino’s lining on his birthday.

When it happened, Fino felt incredibly moved and happy because it was the support and care from his teammates. Only at that moment did he realize that it was Inzaghi expressing his love.

A belated blush crept onto his cheeks.

Inzaghi also began to clap, a smile on his face.

After Pato scored, the score remained unchanged, and AC Milan won 5-2 at home against Napoli.

After the match, Ronaldo hosted a dinner to celebrate his brace after recovering from injury, showing that he was still as splendid as ever, and also to welcome his younger brother Pato to officially join the team.

No one dared to disrespect the Ballon d'Or winner; Ancelotti even announced on the spot that the players would have a morning off, telling them to enjoy themselves.

Cheers erupted in the locker room, with everyone showering Ancelotti with flattery.

In fact, even if the players have no activities in the evening, Ancelotti will give them the day off the next morning. If it weren't for Audi's activities the next afternoon, he would even give them the whole day off.

Milan will be playing two games a week in the remaining schedule, including one Italian Cup match and two rescheduled matches. They won't be able to find time to rest. Now that the second half of the season has just begun, they should make the most of any available time to give the players a break.

Ancelotti, of course, wouldn't say these words aloud; he would only feel secretly pleased with himself: they actually thanked him for losing half a day of vacation!

The dinner went very well—Brazilian gatherings are generally very enjoyable. Most Brazilians in Milan are natural optimists, kind, humorous, and good at having fun.

Fino sat between Kaka and Nesta, watching the two gluttons devour their food, occasionally risking being caught in the crossfire to judge the two childish brawlers who were fighting with their forks over a single bite.

But it's cute, isn't it?

It would have been better if Kaká and Nesta hadn't kept piling food onto their plates; his body was just an ordinary human body, and his esophagus wasn't connected to another universe.

When Pato was egged on to stand on a chair and share his feelings about joining the team, Fino thought of himself last year. The nervousness and anxiety he felt then were still vivid in his mind, but his state of mind now was very different.

Just over a year has passed, and the tension and anxiety of that time have long since disappeared. He has integrated into the locker room and maintains a friendly and harmonious relationship with his teammates.

Ancelotti kept his promise and gave him more playing time, which earned him a regular starting position.

Looking at Pato now is like seeing the path I came from; how can I not feel emotional?

After the dinner, Ronaldo organized two more nightclub events, declaring that he would party until dawn.

As he expected, Maldini, Kaká, Fino, and other boring people all refused to participate, but Inzaghi's refusal to participate piqued his curiosity.

"What's going on, Pippo?" He winked at Inzaghi and teased, "Are you becoming a boring man too?"

Bored? Inzaghi smiled without saying a word.

Seeing Inzaghi's expression, Ronaldo asked curiously, "Have you met a new girl? How hot is she?"

"It's a secret!" Inzaghi said with a mysterious smile, placing his index finger on his lower lip.

Ronaldo gave him a dismissive snort, then hooked his arm around Pato's neck and headed towards the nightclub.

Pirlo looked at Inzaghi with suspicion; Inzaghi's smile gave him a bad feeling.

Inzaghi winked at him, then turned and followed Fino.

Pirlo's expression changed. It seemed his worst fears had come true. A surge of anger welled up inside him. How could Inzaghi...?

In his anger, he felt an urge to dissuade Fino, but he quickly calmed down; he couldn't do that.

Fino is only 19 years old. How scared would he be if he knew that someone else had found out about his relationship with Inzaghi?

Besides, what right do I have to interfere in Fino's private affairs?

While Inzaghi was certainly a scoundrel who took advantage of a weakness, I am not necessarily much more noble than Inzaghi.

At first, he just wanted to tease Fino. The eighteen or nineteen-year-old kid was so funny to see him pretending to be mature and composed every day, which made Fino's curiosity explode.

Once his curiosity was piqued, Pirlo began to observe Fino's every move and then discovered that Fino's inner world might be very different from his outward appearance.

For example, Fino may seem calm and taciturn, but he is definitely a hidden master of pranks.

When Fino sees through Pirlo's prank, he will quietly extricate himself from the situation and watch others jump in. He will just watch the fun silently and will never warn anyone. If necessary, he might even give them a push.

A cunning little fox disguised itself as a harmless little white rabbit.

But with too much attention, things got a little out of control. Especially after seeing through Inzaghi's ulterior motives, Pirlo realized that he wasn't entirely aboveboard either.

This is wrong; Inzaghi can act unilaterally, but he cannot.

Pirlo gave a wry smile. Not only could he not dissuade Fino, but to avoid being discovered by others, he also had to cover for Fino as if nothing had happened—without Fino knowing anything.

Pirlo clenched his fists; this feeling was far too frustrating.

So, is it reasonable that people with low moral standards get what they want, while people with high moral standards bear heavy burdens?

Meanwhile, Fino, whom Pirlo was worried about, was cornered by Inzaghi in a deserted corner.

"I should be rewarded for turning down Ronaldo's invitation," Inzaghi said with a charming smile.

Fino crossed his arms, a half-smile playing on his lips, and raised an eyebrow, asking, "What reward do you want?"

Inzaghi put one arm around Fino's waist, looked into his eyes and smiled slightly: "Perhaps a kiss?"

“Since it’s a reward, it won’t be so easy to get.” Fino raised his hand and gently patted Inzaghi’s face, then pushed away Inzaghi’s hand that was around his waist, turned around and left.

If he lingered for even a second longer, he would expose his inexperience and shyness. Even a novice needs dignity in front of an experienced driver, and he absolutely did not want Inzaghi to see him blushing.

Inzaghi watched Fino wave goodbye as he walked away with his back to him, and smiled gently.

Fino is like a gentle stream, calm and clear on the surface, but only when you truly step into this stream can you feel its vibrant life force.

He loved every reaction from Fino—gentle, stubborn, cunning, awkward, and feigned maturity…

He liked this vibrant Fino, and he would soon have such a Fino.